English Dub Review: Date A Live “Mother Mio”

Overview

Shido is flooded with memories as the girl named Mio Takamiya stands before him. She was the person with whom Shido once shared his feelings when he was Shinji Takamiya. Meanwhile, Kotori and the others learn of Reine’s true identity…


Our Take

Just when I thought Date A Live couldn’t get any darker, this episode further tops itself. Everything set up since season 1 is coming together as Mio begins the final phase of her plan. And while the flashback episode helped us Understand Mio and her connection to the person Shido used to be, it makes it all the more heartbreaking and fucked up not just in how Shido is tied to her, but Mio’s happiness at seeing Shido again comes at a high cost.

While Mio’s goal somewhat makes sense, yet it’s all sorts of tragic and fucked up in a multitude of ways. The long-game she played to accomplish her goal, has consequently lead to the direct and indirect deaths of many people over the course of 30+ years and learning that all the Spirit girls we’ve met over the course of the previous seasons are tied to her, Shido is determined to protect them from Mio who plans to kill them to make herself (and Shido’s memories) whole, and this is in combination with Shido himself being forcibly entangled in Westcott’s schemes…

Overall, the reveal of Mio’s true intentions and identity adds a multitude of layers to the story that’s both tragic and intense. This episode was also brutal, with significant deaths leaving a major impact. As the series delves into more backstories and prepares for Shido’s confrontation with Westcott, making each memory and flashback all the more meaningful and mixing it with a legit sense of escalation. And given how dangerous both Mio and Westcott kinda are, the stakes have never been higher.